Ice Age: Into the Inferno
by DinoFan115
Summary: The battle is about to begin. The volcano is about erupt and the ambitions of a short faced bear will put the Sub-Zero Heroes' lives in danger. Tetheros Island is about to change forever. This takes place about 4 weeks after Continental Drift. I do not own Ice Age.
1. Chapter 1 The Light of Dawn

"The Cariamae forest is a dangerous place" is what the locals said in the Tetheros Island of the Larisian Archipelago. The locals said that giant birds that could kill any animals with a single strike with their beak. That there was an entrance to an underground world in which anything that enters, never returns. Louis developed a small fear of the forest. But his fear of the woods developed a few weeks ago.

About four weeks, to be exact. The herd had arrived to Tetheros Island. Peaches and Louis began to explore their new home. The first thing they spotted was the river. The River Zodiac was a large river that seemed to slither through the ground. Peaches then spotted the large mountains. The mountains were large and had an extraordinary height. The mountaintops were covered in snow. The rest was mostly trees and rocks.

"This place must be huge," Peaches had said.

"I think it will take us more than just one afternoon to explore the entire island," Louis had said in response.

"At least we can explore that forest". In front of them was a large forest. But the trees weren't like the ones they had back in their old home. They weren't pines or elms but conifers, palms and kapok trees. Louis and Peaches had entered the forest.

It was a beautiful forest. The canopy was full of birds singing. The ground was full with ferns. There were many types of berry bushes. The pair had tried some of the berries. Some had a sweet flavor, others tasted like nothing, and some were very sour. Before they would eat a berry, they would split it open. Some would look normal on the outside but on the inside, they were blood red or orange in color. They had seen several of this type of berries back in their old home and they knew perfectly well that they had to be avoided. The afternoon sun was beginning to set. Louis and Peaches began to go back when they were stopped. They were stopped by an animal that looked like a rhinoceros combined with a Moeritherium. Its hind legs were longer than its stout legs. It approached Peaches and Louis. He then collapsed on the ground. The pair went to see if it was okay. It wasn't. He had an injury in his left hind leg and a major wound in its torso. Some of its bones could be seen. It was impossible for it to survive its injuries.

"You two," he had said "You…You better…better leave the forest".

"What happened to you?" Peaches asked.

"You better…you better," he didn't finish. His eyes were closed and his breathing stopped. He lay there, motionless, never to open his eyes or to speak again.

"Peaches," Louis had been a little nervous "I think we should go back".

"Okay," she had responded. The two quickly left. Once they gotten back, they told Manny, Peaches' father, about what they had experienced.

"I don't want the two of you going back into that forest," Manny had said. Peaches and Louis didn't argue. The following morning, they did continue their exploring but didn't return into the forest.

Louis woke up. He was safely underground in his burrow. He didn't know what time of the day it was but he exited the burrow. It was dawn. The sun was peering over the horizon. It was starting to illuminate the island. The sun light temporarily blinded Louis but he refocused his vision after a few seconds.

His vision was refocused and he saw a familiar face. It was a mammoth. It was looking at the horizon. And this mammoth was his best friend Peaches.


	2. Chapter 2 The Island Secret

"Do you miss our old home?" Peaches asked.

"Yes," Louis responded "But we have to adjust to our new home. Don't you like this place?"

"I do," she responded "but I do miss our old home". There was a lot of stuff that she missed. She missed the cold and the snow and the smell of pine forests.

Despite this, she enjoyed being in Tetheros Island. During the four weeks after they had arrived, Peaches and Louis only have explored very little of the island. They haven't entered Cariamae Forest since that incident, but they have explored Cariamae Fields. The fields are wide and spacious and are inhabited by Toxodon and Macrauchenia herds, groups of glyptodonts and Doedicurus, an animal that looks like a glyptodont only with a longer tail with spikes at the end which works like a mace.

They explored part of the Zodiac Mountains with Ethan, who at first was reluctant to go, but after getting to the top of a mountain, he really got interested into exploring more of the island.

Today, Peaches, Ethan and Louis were in the Western Coast. The ocean was very transparent, so you could see fish swimming in small shoals. The shore was dotted with conifer trees and patches of horsetails. The three spotted a herd of Hipparion, a type of horse that was about six feet long and weighed about of 500 pounds. The adults were grazing and the colts and fillies were running around, playing.

Louis, Peaches and Ethan kept walking south. They could see an island in the distance. The locals called it Lavinia's Island and that's where they were heading. But something caught their attention. It was small. They rushed over to see if it was okay.

It was a female molehog. She seemed to be the same age as Louis. Louis checked her blood pulse. She was still alive. She then opened her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked.

"I'm fine," she responded. She spoke with an accent. It was a French accent. "Now, who are you?"

"Well my name is Peaches," she responded.

"My name is Ethan," Ethan introduced himself.

"And my name is Louis," Louis said.

"Nice to meet all of you. My name is Claire," Claire, after introducing herself, was asked that what happened and why was she unconscious. She told them that she didn't remember much of what happened. She didn't remember where she was from. All that she remembered was her name, her family and some other stuff.

"So, where are you going?" Claire asked.

"Well, we were going to that island," Peaches pointed with her trunk to the island. It was now covered with fog. "Want to come?"

"Sure," Claire responded. The four headed to the island.

On the way, they thought of how to get to the island. It was one thing that Peaches didn't think about. But she said that they would find a way.

They didn't need to think of a way to get to the island. There was a bridge that led to the island. They decided to cross it. It didn't seem to be a natural land bridge. It looked like someone made it. The bridge was decorated with beautiful and colorful carvings of whales, dolphins, sharks, fish, etc. It looked old, as there was moss growing on it and it looked like if it was falling apart. Crossing the bridge took them about half hour. At the end of the bridge, there was an archway that was falling into pieces. It was made of marble and limestone. It was decorated with several precious stones and sea shells. It seemed to be an entrance, because on the archway, there was something carved in it. It was what we call writing.

They passed the archway and were now in the island. There was fog. The fog was so thick that you couldn't see more than a few feet in front of you. Nothing grew here. The soil was sterile. It was so peaceful in quite, it was like if the rest of the world didn't exist. Then they noticed the giant columns. They were made of the same material that the archway was made of. There was a hold bunch of them. They were all in bad shape.

"Now I know why the call them ruins," Ethan remarked.

"Someone or something must have lived here," Louis said. They noticed that the columns were surrounding something. It was a large mound of dirt and debris. There was large, wooden door that also bore the same markings of the archway. They were tempted to open the door. The door was as large as a mammoth. The door was opened and the four of them stepped in.

A long flight of escalators led downward. The passage way was illuminated by a dim, electric blue light. Despite this, the passage way was very dark. The passage way had an eerie feeling to it. The flight of stairs seemed to go on forever but they stopped.

Everyone gasped. The sight of a horse's skeleton was startling.

"How old do you think it is?" Peaches asked.

"My guess," Louis responded "Very old".

Claire examined the skeleton. It was a mare. The bones told that she was injured and the reason she died, was because of a fatal strike in her neck. Claire accidently touched the bones and they crumpled to dust.

"I think we should leave," Louis suggested "This place is giving me the creeps".

"Oh come on," Ethan said to Louis "Show a little backbone, and besides there's a door right there". He was right. There was a door like the previous one. Ethan pushed it open. He and Peaches had to duck to enter, while Louis and Claire had no problem at all.

Inside this new chamber, the lighting was electric blue and there were many statues of humans in the room. They figured that it was a type of temple, were humans would worship these statues.

In the center of the chamber, there was a large structure in the shape of two dolphins. It was surrounded by glowing, electric blue water. And beside this fountain, there was another, larger skeleton. It was the skeleton of an animal that looked like a bear, only this bear was larger than any other bear.

"I think that this bear, if it stood up on two legs, it would have been about four meters tall," Louis theorized.

"How do you think he died?" Claire asked.

"It's a mystery," Ethan responded "And a mystery that I don't want to find out, but in my opinion, I think it had to do with this fountain. I mean electric blue water. I don't think water is supposed to be electric blue".

"Guys," Louis said. He sounded nervous. "Let's leave now".

"Yeah" Peaches responded. They left the chamber and headed up the stairs again. Once outside, they saw that the sun was almost setting. They hurried back. Peaches was especially in a hurry, because her dad wouldn't let her stay out after dark.


	3. Chapter 3 Future Parenthood

Manny got angry but only a little. He decided to not punish Peaches because she never missed her curfew up until now. He let it slide. Diego woke up. The reason was because of a small tremor. He looked around and saw that he was the only one that was woken up by the tremor. Then he noticed that Shira wasn't anywhere to be seen. He got up and looked around. He then spotted her at the river delta.

"Couldn't sleep," Diego said to her.

Shira turned around and said "No, I couldn't sleep".

"Did that tremor woke you up?" Diego asked.

"No," she responded "It was something else. Something that hasn't kept me awake for a couple of nights".

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's something that may surprise and catch you off guard," Shira said.

"Nothing catches me off guard." This was true. For the last few weeks nothing surprised him.

"All right," Shira said, but this time she sounded excited "Here goes". She inhaled then exhaled and began to say in a very calm voice "You are to be a father".

So much for nothing catching Diego off guard. "When did you find out?"

"Just last week," she responded.

"I'm going to be a father," Diego said. He was excited and happy that he was to be a father.

"Should we think names for the cubs," Shira suggested.

"Not right now" Diego said "How about when their born?"

"Okay" Shira responded. Hopefully Diego will think of names, because Shira will stay pregnant for about four months. There can be up to five cubs in one litter. Diego and Shira began to embrace. The two of them were excited and happy that they would be parents in about four months.

They decided to head back and go to sleep but they were stopped on the way. There was another tremor. It was larger than the one before. They didn't know where was the point of origin of the tremors but I do and you are about to know. The tremors were being caused by the volcano that was in the Zodiac Mountains. And what they didn't know is that it was active. The Zodiac Volcano, as the locals called it, was now a time bomb, ticking away. Diego and Shira decided to not tell anyone just yet and that it was their little secret.

The tremors were becoming more frequent and stronger. When there was a tremor, everyone could sense it. It was a week after the tremors began that they found out that it was because of a volcano. Manny decided to make a contingency plan.

"Alright" he said "I've thought of a contingency plan".

"What is a contingency plan?" Sid asked.

"It's a plan that takes in account a future event and what are we to do when it happens" Claire responded.

"So what are we going to do if the volcano erupts?" Ellie now asked.

And Manny explained his plan. They were to find shelter so he asked Peaches, Louis and Claire to look for shelter. Then they would go as far away from the volcano as possible.

The matter regarding shelter was a discussion. The Cariamae Fields were flat and nothing could work as shelter. Looking for shelter in the mountains would take too long and it would be very near the volcano. The only place to look for shelter was in a place where Louis and Peaches didn't want to go to: the Cariamae Forest.


	4. Chapter 4 The Order of the Bear

Peaches and Louis told Ethan and Claire why they didn't want to go to the forest. Once they told them, Ethan and Claire didn't want to go in either. But going into the forest to find shelter was important because of Manny's contingency plan. So, this part is what they found in the forest of Cariamae.

I forgot to mention that Crash and Eddie, Peaches' opossum uncles, joined them. They didn't seem to mind that there might be some dangerous animals running around the forest.

It was noon. They didn't find anything that could work for shelter. They didn't find anything. So far, their minds had been preoccupied looking for shelter or something but that changed when Peaches tripped on something.

"Are you alright?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, I think I tripped on a rock or something like that," Peaches responded.

"That's not a rock," Louis said. He was horrified at the sight of the thing that Peaches tripped on. The same with Claire.

"Then what is it?" Peaches asked, though when she saw it, she didn't want an answer. Crash and Eddie just simply fainted.

It was the body of a Macrauchenia. It seemed that something, like a bird, fed on the Macrauchenia. It was covered with marks that looked like something was pecking it and taking small bites out of it. It must have been dead for days, because the body was emaciated and flies were swarming it.

"What do you think did this?" Peaches asked.

"I think," Louis gulped "I think that it might have been some sort of bird".

"What?" Ethan said in disbelief "No way a bird could have done this".

"Hey Louis," Peaches said to Louis "Remember what the locals around here say".

"Yeah," Louis responded "That giant birds with large beaks that could kill any animal with a single strike of its beak".

"Precisely" Peaches said. Crash and Eddie had woken up just in time to hear and they knew that their playing dead trick might not work so, naturally, they got more nervous.

They decided to carry on with their task. It was the middle of the afternoon. They were in a part of the forest where the forest canopy was very thick, that there was less sunlight below the canopy. They've spent the past few hours and they hadn't found any form of shelter. By late afternoon, they decided to give up and try to search somewhere else in the next morning. But something stopped them. They heard sounds in a nearby clearing. They approached as quietly as possible, which was hard for Peaches and Ethan, for leaves and twigs crunched wherever they stepped. They took cover in the bushes near the clearing. What they saw, was nothing like anything they had seen before.

Three meter tall birds were patrolling or guarding the clearing. There were fifty birds in total. Their bodies had small wings that couldn't support them and covered with dark brown feathers. Their necks were long and covered with light brown feathers. Their beaks were large and yellow and their eyes were big. Their legs were long and it meant that they were great for running at a good speed. But the birds weren't the only ones in that clearing.

In the center of the clearing, there was a bear. This was no ordinary bear. He was larger than any bear alive today. His face was shorter than most bears and this why they are called short-faced bears. On all four legs, he was two meters tall. Next to him, there was one of those large birds. The two seemed to be discussing while walking at the same time. The group couldn't hear what they were discussing about, but you reader will know the entire conversation.

"Condor Way and the Southern Lands have pledge their allegiance to you my lord," said the bird.

"What of the Western and Eastern Shores?" the bear asked.

"I'm not sure," the bird responded.

"Doesn't matter right now," the bear responded "Almost the entire island has pledge allegiance to us". The bear's name was Lautaro and the bird's name was Loras. They talked about an "upcoming event". Then, out of the bushes, came out a kangaroo. Her fur was grayish and a purple and white. Her eyes were golden and she carried a spiral shell sword in her hand. She held an armadillo hostage. To the group that was watching, this armadillo was a complete stranger. But in their old home, he was well known. He had disappeared several years before Louis, Ethan, Claire or Peaches were born. He was known as Fast Tony. And the kangaroo that was holding him hostage was known as Raz.

"Look at what I found snooping around," she said gloating.

"A fatal mistake," said Lautaro "A very fatal mistake".

"Please let me go," the armadillo pleaded "I won't say a word to anyone about this".

"I can offer you something," the bear offered.

The armadillo was now listening to something that he wanted to hear "Make your offer".

"If you pledge loyalty to me, you can live, but you mustn't say a word about my encampment to anyone. Do you understand?" the bear made his offer.

"Why loyalty?" Fast Tony asked "Are you planning something?"

Lautaro proceeded to explain his plan. He planned to be ruler and to be the "King of Animals" a position and title that was held by the Tetherian Lions. But the lions were long extinct and he believed that there should be a new king.

"A position to command a small regiment," Lautaro said "That's my offer".

Fast Tony forgot that if he refused, he would be killed. But greed and a little bit of pride got the better of him. "A position of power when you take command" he said.

"This is not a matter of pawning or bargaining," said Lautaro "Take or leave the offer I gave you".

"I say no to your offer" Fast Tony said. It was the last thing he ever said. Lautaro stood on his two hind legs. He grabbed Fast Tony and placed him in a headlock. He then made a swift motion with his hand and snapped the armadillo's neck.

It happened so fast, that the group that was watching quickly left. They forgot about searching for shelter and they began to head back. They left the forest and headed for the local waterhole.

The waterhole was subterranean spring fed. All that running made their throats dry. They drank from the waterhole.

"I think that we should continue looking for shelter tomorrow," Peaches suggested. Everyone agreed.


	5. Chapter 5 Apocalyptic Situation

For safety reasons, Manny, Diego and Sid would search for the shelter. He decided this because of what Peaches had told him what she saw in the forest. The three soon found a cave. The cave was large enough for the entire group. The group was prepared for the upcoming eruption. But it happened when their guard was down.

They were asleep. The moon was full and silver. The sky was full with stars and if you looked carefully, you could see the galaxies. There was only one animal awake and looking at the night sky. It was Louis.

Watching the stars was one of his favorite activities (besides digging). His brother, Stephen, was the one who got him interested in watching the night sky. Stephen disappeared when Louis was very young. One of the ways he remembered him was watching the night sky.

"What are you doing?" Claire asked.

Louis noticed Claire sitting beside him. "Watching the sky," Louis responded.

Claire looked up at the sky. She then said "There's a conjunction between the Lamos Star and the Sicilian Star".

Louis looked up at the sky. He noticed two objects movement in the sky. They seemed to be orbiting around each other. "How do you know?"

"I also watch the sky," Claire responded.

"Then you must also know what does it mean?" Louis asked "Because I don't".

"I've seen this before," Claire responded "It means conflict". The two spent several minutes looking at the sky. Then they noticed something. It was a tremor. It ended as quickly as it began. Then all hell broke loose.

There was a large explosion. Because of their good hearing, the explosion stunned Louis and Claire.

Everyone quickly woke up. The volcano had erupted. The ash cloud quickly covered the entire area. Ash began to fall (Sid later called it the Black Snow). Manny led the entire group to the cave he had found a day before. They were also joined by Ethan. They entered the forest and took shelter in the cave.

Every animal in the area headed south. And it was a good thing too, because the pyroclastic flow moved in at great speed.

Loras the Terror Bird saw the eruption as the perfect opportunity to slip away unseen. He made it to a ravine. He found a place where it was sheltered from the ash.

"I see you got my message," a voice said.

"Yes my old friend," Loras responded. He then bowed to the unknown voice.

The unknown voice belonged to a Terror Bird. He was the same age as Loras and he too bowed and said "I told you not to join Lautaro"

"Yes, I remember Pax," Loras said to Pax "And when he killed the armadillo, I learned that he is cruel and shows no mercy".

"Don't worry Loras," Pax said in a reassuring voice "But now we work together against him".

"How?" Loras asked.

"In the spring equinox, go to waterhole" Pax said "No one will be there so it will be a very private place for a meeting. It's time for the Inner Circle to liberate the island from the threat of Lautaro". Pax then left and Loras just stood there, beginning to plan how to get rid of Lautaro.

"Where's Louis?" Peaches asked. No one saw Louis and Claire enter the cave. Peaches was getting worried. She wanted to go out and look, but she knew that the conditions outside weren't suitable to search. Then again, she didn't care about the conditions. Then everyone in the cave noticed the two trails of molehills. Louis popped out of one. Claire also popped out of one of the burrows.

"Well," Claire said "That was a close one". Louis nodded

"Hey guys" Sid said "have you seen my grandmother?"


	6. Chapter 6 The Forest Skirmish

Manny, Diego and Sid left the cave while everyone was asleep. They went to search for Granny. They called out her name but they received no answer and the field was so quite, but it was an eerie quite.

"Don't worry Sid," Diego said "Don't you remember that she made friends with the Hipparion herd and she spends nearly all her time with those horses". This was true. In fact, as they spoke, she was riding a Hipparion that was heading south. She noticed the eruption, but she assured herself that she was at a safe distance.

What Diego said reassured Sid. The group would head south, where the chances of him finding Granny were very high. They headed back to the cave to wake the others and head south and as far away from the volcano as possible.

It was dawn, even though it didn't look like it. It was as dark as night. The group was joined by other animals. They were joined by some Hipparion, Gastornis and a few glyptodonts. All of these were left behind. They would travel through the forest, then exit the forest at Condor Way and enter the Southern Lands.

"That's where everyone is heading" a Hipparion had said.

Shira didn't like going through the forest. She had heard what Peaches and Louis had told them. She hoped that no Terror Birds would make an attack, because that would put everyone in danger, including her unborn offspring. Ash was falling but the group was covered by the thick forest canopy and only a few ash particles fell through.

Lautaro had xenophobia. He disliked and fear Manny and his group. He also disliked them because he heard that it was the group that was the greatest threat to his ambition. From the moment they had arrived on the island, he thought of ways to, as he put it, "destroying them".

"Loras," he yelled "Get a battalion ready".

"What for?" Loras asked.

"To attack the mammoth and his group" Lautaro responded. Loras agreed to this. He figured that if he acted loyal to Lautaro, the latter would not suspect that he was plotting against him. He gathered thirty Terror Birds. Lautaro made a last minute decision to go with him. Lautaro ordered Raz to stay behind with Gupta, a Bengali badger whose fur pattern resembles skull and crossbones.

The battalion was walking, with Lautaro at the front. He was determined to succeed in the attack.

Resting at night and traveling in the day was the plan. It was dark in daytime, but not dark enough and they could see where they were going. At night, it was so dark that they couldn't continue traveling.

It was midnight. It was so dark that it kind of made the Cariamae Forest look very scary. Everyone was asleep, except Sid. He kept thinking of his grandmother.

_Is she really safe?_ he thought. She was, for as she was traveling with the herd of animals that was heading south.

Sid was looking for wood. He was able to find some. He then began to search for two stones. He wanted to build a fire, and he trusted himself he could do it, for he once called himself Lord of the Flame. He didn't want the fire to warm up; he wanted the fire for illumination, because it was very dark. But he wasn't able to create enough friction with the stones, so he lay down and fell asleep.

Sid was woken up by Diego. "Sid, get up," Diego said "We got to get out of here".

Sid got up and was about ask what was going on, but then he saw what was really going on.

Thirty Terror Birds (Sid didn't knew at the time that they were Terror Birds) were attacking the small herd. He saw two of the Hipparions in the ground, motionless. He saw Manny and Ellie fighting off five birds. Ethan and Peaches had armed themselves with logs and was swinging it around. Louis and Claire were throwing sticks and stones that they found. Shira slashed with her claws at the Terror Bird.

As you might have guessed, the forest was chaos. The Gastornis stood their ground against the Terror Birds. The Hipparion were running around and distracting the Terror Birds. The glyptodonts were hard to bring down. Some of them were Doedicurus, whose tail served as a club. The others were Glyptodonts, whose shell was their protection. Five of the Terror Birds had fallen. A group of three Terror Birds managed to bring down a Doedicurus.

Sid wasn't sure what to do. He found a wooden stick and the moment he picked it up, a Terror Bird approached him.

"Oh," he said in a surprised tone "Hello. What's your name?"

"If you must know, my name is Kerius" she said.

"Kerius," Sid responded "What a pretty name"

"Don't think I know what you're doing sloth," Kerius responded coldly "You're distracting me".

"Dang it," Sid said "I thought that would work". Kerius raised her head. She looked down at Sid and thrusted her neck downward. If Sid hadn't moved, Kerius' beak would have pecked him with such a force that it would have probably cracked his skull. Sid quickly responded. With the wooden stick, he hit Kerius and made a run for it.

Diego, who was busy dealing with another Terror Bird (Loras), refocused his attention and lunged forward. He caused Kerius to lose balance and trip. The two began a duel.

Sid then noticed Crash and Eddie harassing some Terror Birds. They were throwing anything they could get their hands on. Rocks, sticks, a type of fruiting body that grew on the tree were on the list. They even threw abandoned bird eggs that would never hatch. The Terror Birds that were being harassed by Crash and Eddie later made a run for it.

Alright, everything is fine, he thought. Many Terror Birds were making a run for it. Only fifteen remained, and ten were lying dead in the ground. Then the skirmish shifted.

Sid saw a large bear approaching toward. It was Lautaro. He was walking on all four legs and was two meters tall when like this. One of the Doedicurus panicked at the sight of the bear and began to attack him. The Doedicurus was swinging his tail but the bear was quick and struck in its weakest point: the neck. The Doedicurus was lying in the ground, not moving a single muscle.

"Terror Birds," the bear yelled "Frenzy formation". The Terror Birds began to move around in formation. Then they broke formation. They moved very fast. They would try to peck anything and if they failed, they would retreat. Some succeeded in bringing down Hipparion or Gastornis or glyptodonts. Then the Terror Birds retreated back into the forest, except one: Kerius.

Sid heard Lautaro. He said "Kerius" and pointed at Claire. Kerius approached her at a fast speed. He was about to yell for he to watch out but he then noticed Louis. He pushed her aside but he received the full force of Kerius' attack.

"!No!" Peaches yelled. Louis was lying on the ground, motionless. Kerius was circling him. Louis let out a faint groan. Kerius prepared to peck him again but something stopped her. A molehog popped out of his burrow. He was larger than Louis but he looked much like him except his eyes were green not brown.

"Get away from him" the molehog said. Kerius ran back to the forest. The molehog put his ear on Louis' chest to hear for a heartbeat. He heard one and let a sigh of relief.

Peaches approached the unknown molehog. "Is he okay?" she asked.

"He's fine," the molehog responded "He's just unconscious. Now, follow me, we must get him to Agouti's Rock".

"Agouti's Rock" a Hipparion said after hearing the molehog "Why there?"

"Get him to a healer" the molehog answered.

"Wait" Peaches said "We don't even know you, and I think that you don't know Louis".

"You make a good point mammoth," the molehog said "Yet, I do know him, but I think that he never told any of you about me".

"Then answer my question," Peaches said "Who are you?"

The molehog then said "I'm his brother_". _


	7. Chapter 7 Agouti's Rock

Stephen was looking at the entrance of the room. It was dark. Of course it was dark; it was the middle of the night. However, in about an hour, they're would be a meeting. It was planned since the previous week.

Stephen then looked at his baby brother, Louis. The previous week, there was an attack in the forest, and Louis was almost killed by a Terror Bird. He had taken the blow that was originally meant for Claire. Now, he was unconscious.

Stephen had convinced the herd to go to Agouti's Rock. They found Oppius, a healer. Stephen hasn't left his brother's side ever since.

He grabbed a tobacco leaf. He began chewing it. It was his stress reliever.

He heard a moan. He spat out the leaf that he was chewing it. The moan was coming from Louis. Stephen saw him opening his eyes. Louis tried to sit up but it caused him pain.

"Don't move a lot," he said "Here, drink this". He picked up a little bowl that contained water. Louis drank the water.

"Rest," Stephen said "Or just lay down, whatever rows your boat. Listen, I have an errand to run, so I'll be right back".

Stephen exited the room. He was now walking in the halls and tunnels of Agouti's Rock.

Agouti's Rock was an ancient structure (the one who built the structures in Lavinia's Island built Agouti's Rock). On the walls, there were many statues of humans. There was a faint, green glow in the place. The floor was dirt and many pieces of debris and tiles, with the pictures of animals carved in them. It was a very quiet place. The reason that it was quiet was that the walls blocked out all sound from the outside. You would only hear the sound on the inside.

Stephen made his across the halls until he arrived in the center of the Rock. It was a large circular room. The circumference had statue. Each statue was 15 feet apart. In the center, there was a large slab of stone. And sitting around it, there was Manny, Diego, and a small animal, an agouti. He was twenty four inches long and his fur was a light brown color. His eyes were a light blue color. His name was Oppius, the healer.

"Stephen," Oppius said "I'm glad you can join us".

Stephen sat at one side of the slab of stone. "What's the reason for this meeting?"

"We must discuss the Bane of Tetheros and the prophecy," Oppius said and he pulled out a scroll. This is what it said:

_When the mountain erupts,_

_When the bear becomes king_

_When the lord of birds returns_

_The island of tetheros will suffer._

_THE FOREIGNERS WILL RISE_

_TO DEFEAT THE BEAR AND HIS MIGHT_

_AT WORLD'S END._

_In the end, all of it will be decided._

_Decided at the place where the world began_

_And when north becomes south and _

_South becomes north_

"What does it mean?" Manny asked.

"You'll know when it's fulfilled," Oppius responded "For as it will be your group that will fulfill the prophecy".

"Can you tell us what are we supposed to do?" Diego asked.

"You must go to defeat Lautaro, the one who planned the attack in the forest last week," Oppius responded "You must drive him from the island".

"That's gonna be hard," Diego remarked.

"I never said it was going to be easy, in fact, maybe some of you will never see each other again," Oppius said. That settled into the room. The idea that some of them would die was scary.

Oppius pulled out a bag. He opened it and pulled out various small weapons. Daggers, knives and a small sword. He also pulled out a quiver and a bow.

"The bow and arrows are for your brother," Oppius said looking at Stephen.

Before Stephen could respond, Oppius continued "The daggers are for Claire, the knives are for the possum brothers and the sword is for Stephen".

"First, I have a small question," Manny said "Who's Lautaro?"

"The Bane of Tetheros," Oppius responded "The short-face bear, lord of Cariamae Forest. He has ambitions to rule the island and all who live in it".

"That doesn't sound good," Manny responded.

"No it isn't," Oppius responded "I'll wake you an hour before dawn, now pleasant dreams".


	8. Chapter 8 A Meeting in the Forest

Raz was late. She had agreed to meet Gupta in a clearing in the forest one hour before midnight. It was two hours after midnight and she was moving in a hurry. After hopping her way through the forest she arrived at the clearing.

And Gupta was there, pacing back and forth until he saw Raz.

"You're late," he said.

"Sorry about that," Raz responded "I had to sneak pass many of Lautaro's agents and terror birds. So, what the reason for this little meeting?".

"While I was in one of those stupid reconnaissance missions that Lautaro always makes me do, I found something in the western coast of the Southern Lands," Gupta responded.

"What is it?"

"The ship that was used by that stupid herd to get here is in the coast," he responded "We can use it to get out of this island".

"Good plan," she said "But it will never work".

"Why not?" the badger asked.

"Lautaro will soon ask more from us," she responded "Not just leading reconnaissance missions".

"You're right" he responded "The island would be better off without him".

They stood there, saying nothing. Rain had began to fall and the ground was beginning to become sludge, for as the ground was filled with ash from the volcano. Raz then got an idea.

"Let's rid this island from Lautaro," he suggested.

"Any reason why?" he asked.

"You know that the island would be better off without him, you said it yourself," she said "We would be doing a good thing to the island, not a bad thing and we can make our escape".

Gupta began to think. He thought about the idea for a while until he asked "How do you plan to get rid of him?"

"We poison him," she suggested "In my reconnaissance missions, I've found berries that turn out to be poisonous. We get a good amount of berries and give them to him. You know how much he loves berries".

"Lautaro knows every type of berry in the forest," Gupta said, still unsure of this plan.

"The berries are not from the forest, there only found in a forest in the Condor Way".

After thinking through it again, he was about to say 'yes', but he was pinned to the ground. The sludge was in his eye and the only eye he could see with was his left eye. He saw that Raz was also pinned down. He focused his vision and saw that it was a bear paw.

"Do you know what the price for treason is?" asked Lautaro.

"What are you talking about?" Raz asked, her voice filled with fear and at the same time hatred.

"I heard all about your plot," he responded, his voice sounded hostile "Poison me? I'm no simple mammal, I've tasted those berries in Condor Way, and I've feel no effect from its poison, in fact, I use them to get a great feeling of euphoria and bliss".

The bear released them but soon, terror birds arrived on the scene and they pinned Raz and Gupta to the ground. Among them was Kerius, Loras' sister.

"Kerius," he said "Where is Loras?"

"With Lara and his hatchling," she responded.

"Very well," he said "Is the cave open?"

"Just opened last night".

"Good" Lautaro said "Take the kangaroo to Lamia, tell her to prepare the tonic" he whispered.

"And what of the badger?" she asked.

"The Cave Passage of Cariamae" he responded. He then went back into the forest. The last thing Gupta remembered was being hit hard on the head.

The next time he woke, he was in total darkness. He thought it was nighttime but he then saw that he was in a type of cave. He saw his knife right next to him. He picked it up. He then heard the growls of an animal he did not recognize behind him.


	9. Chapter 9 The Underground

They had left Agouti's Rock in the early hours of the morning. They had walked across the land for several hours. They were in the forest by nightfall. By the time the sky was dark, everyone was asleep, except Manny and Ellie.

"How do we know that this 'prophecy' is legit?" she asked in a whispered tone. She didn't want to wake them.

"I don't know," Manny responded "But I trust that Oppius".

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't know, but everything he told us, for me, seemed legit," the mammoth responded.

"Alright," Ellie said "But do you think it was necessary to bring them along". She pointed her trunk to Peaches, Louis and Claire who were sleeping soundly. "It's dangerous for them".

"I know," Manny responded "But Oppius said they had some important role to fulfill or something like that". Ellie said no more. She fell asleep soon afterward.

They entered deeper and deeper into the forest. It was dark from the cloud of ash. They had heard some of the animals near Agouti's Rock call the area where the volcano and the parts where the ash cloud was thick the Shadowlands.

They were in a very creepy part of the forest. It was noon and it looked like midnight. They had crossed into the Shadowlands.

They stopped to rest. Joaquin, Oppius' son, told Ethan, Peaches, Louis, Claire, Stephen, Crash and Eddie to scout around the perimeter.

"Why?" Ethan asked.

"Just do it," Joaquin responded. He was a ten years younger than Stephen and he had been appointed as their guide, because apparently he knew this forest well.

Thirty minutes after they left, Shira was getting anxious. She was pregnant and she wanted to say something about it. She decided to tell Ellie.

"Ellie," she said "Can I speak with you. In private".

"Sure," Ellie responded.

The two of them went to speak in private. When they chose place that they deemed private, they began talking.

"Alright, what is it?" she asked.

"Three weeks ago, I found out," she said "I'm pregnant".

Ellie gasped "Congratulations," she said.

Well that was one thing off Shira's chest. She wanted to tell someone about her pregnancy. But the more she thought about it, fear began to build up in her. But she told herself not to worry. After all, she would not be alone in it.

It was sundown, according to Joaquin. For everyone else, it just seemed darker. And a certain mammoth was getting worried.

"Where are they?" Manny asked "Shouldn't they have gotten back by now?"

"Yes," Joaquin answered "But there must be a reason why they haven't come back yet. Let's wait another hour and if they haven't come back by then, then we search for them".

The hour passed and Manny, Diego and Joaquin went out to search for them.

"Be on your guard," Joaquin, who was riding Manny said.

They went on the same path as the missing group. Underneath an ash cloud, and at night, the forest had a creepy feeling to it. Anything could be coming out of the bushes, and Manny's mind was focused on the Terror Birds. They could come out at any second.

"Oh confound it all," Joaquin said. He got off of Manny and went forward to what appeared to be a cave entrance and rocks had sealed it in.

"What is it?" Diego asked.

"The Cave Passage of Cariamae," Joaquin responded. He looked at Manny "I think that your daughter and her friends passed through here".

Manny didn't want to believe it. But he did after he saw the print of a mammoth in the ground.

It was dark. There wasn't much light. And the source of light that was present was a very dim glow coming from the rock walls.

"Everyone alright?" asked Stephen.

"Ugh, what happened?" asked Crash.

"We fell," Louis responded "That's what happened".

"Fall and slide down a passage," Claire added.

"I've been to many parts of this island," Stephen said "But this place, this place feels old, older than anything alive in this world".

"And it's forsaken," a voice said.

"Who's there, show yourself," Stephen demanded.

From behind a rock, came out a figure. As he stepped closer, they saw that it was a weasel. He was a strange weasel for as he had an eyepatch. And he carried a knife.

"More like godforsaken," he said "Name's Buck. Short for Buckminster. Long for Buh. Hey, I know you two," he said, pointing at Crash and Eddie. "You two crazy little possums".

"You're the crazy one," Eddie said.

"Anyway," Buck said "For the rest of you I don't know who you are and why you are here".

Stephen introduced them to Buck, and told them how did they got there. "And how did you get here?"

"Well, one day I was in my world underground, very different from this one," Buck answered "Then I found a cave and it led me here.

"Is there a way out of here?" Peaches asked.

"Yes," Buck answered "There is another exit, but it's far away and it would be suicide to try".

"We have to try at least," Claire said.

"And I will be happy to lead you to that exit," Buck said "But first you must follow my rules. Number One: Always listen to Buck. Number Two: Stay in the middle of the trail. Number Three: He who has gas travels at the back of the pack".


	10. Chapter 10 The Inner Circle

Manny couldn't sleep. His daughter was missing and they had become lost after two days in the forest. He had wanted to remove the rocks from the cave entrance but Joaquin had said it was pointless. They had to continue. Maybe if they finished this quest to stop Lautaro, he could search for her.

But what were the chances of that happening?

The following day, a tiny bird had arrived. Its plumage was the color brown and it had small wings and it was very hyper.

"Thalia," Joaquin said "What are you doing here?"

Thalia the bird chirped.

"A message from my father," Joaquin translated. Sid found it a little weird that an agouti was speaking to a bird.

Thalia chirped again.

"He wants us to meet the Circle," Joaquin said aloud "Where are they?"

Thalia took off. Joaquin began following her. And the rest of the group followed Joaquin.

About an hour later, they arrived in a clearing. Thalia perched up in a tree branch.

"What are we doing exactly?" Manny asked.

"Just wait," Joaquin responded.

And they waited. After another hour, they saw in one edge of a clearing a Terror Bird. It was like the others, except that his body plumage was copper and his neck was covered in white feathers. His eyes were green.

Then another two birds showed up. They looked the same except that one was taller than the other. Then another bird showed up. A hatchling was beside her and her body was covered with light brown feathers and her neck with white feathers. And the final one came beside her.

Manny recognized the last bird. He had seen him in the forest, in the attack. He didn't want to say anything but he saw the bird staring at him, probably thinking the same.

The first bird that had arrived stepped forward. "I trust that you are Oppius' son," he said, looking at Joaquin.

"Yes, I am the son of Oppius," Joaquin responded.

"Who are they?" Ellie asked.

"I am Pax, son of Bellius," the bird said "These are the twins Dido and Merio," he pointed at the twins. "This is Loras, Lara and their hatchling, Nile," he pointed his beak to the three birds.

"Hey, I've seen you before," Sid said to Loras "You were in the attack".

"Yes, fighting beside the damned bear," he said "But I can tell you I had to, for it would blow away my cover".

"Why?" Diego asked.

"Because Loras is Lautaro's second in command," Pax responded "So he knows information that we do not. So Loras had to fight against you to keep his true colors from being revealed".

"So you are against Lautaro?" asked Shira "I thought all Terror Birds sided with him".

"Yes and no," Pax said "You see, Terror Birds joined him because they wanted to and some because they hate mammals".

"But Lautaro is a mammal" Ellie remarked.

"Yes, it's ironic," Pax said "Now, you must come with us".

"Where?" Manny asked, doubt was in his voice.

"Back to Agouti's Rock," he answered "And we must make haste".

Manny had so many questions but none could be answered. The group moved quickly with little time to rest. After two days of travel, they arrived at Agouti's Rock.

They were at the entrance when they heard the sound of something coming towards the Rock.

It was coming from the south. The animals around the rock had grown in number and they were confused and a little frightened.

The first wolf appeared, then another and then another. Soon there were a total of one hundred and ten wolves. Then more animal appeared. Manny saw moles, then he saw a different type of Terror Bird. It was smaller than the ones he had encountered before and their plumage was black or dark gray.

"Titanis," Pax said to Manny "The first animal to pledge loyalty to Lautaro".

The ones who had arrived were forming ranks and then came something Manny had never seen before, something so large that it made him feel small. It stood 25 feet tall and it looked like an elephant but it had some features of a rhino but it didn't had horns like them There were two of them and Manny had heard of them before, just once. They were Indricotheres, or as Pax told him, the Southern Indricotheres, who came from the south of the Southern Lands. They formed ranks. The wolves at front, behind them were the Titanis and behind them were the Indricotheres. Then came down two Haast's Eagles which perched themselves on the Indricotheres.

Then, at last, came the Terror Birds, the Phorusrhacos.

"Loras," Pax yelled "Hide, we cannot let them see you". Loras made a run for it and went inside the Rock. The Terror Birds formed up in front of the rest of the army and then came the last one. It was Lautaro and he formed up in front of the army.

"So it begins," Pax said to Manny.


	11. Chapter 11 The Badger and the Horn

Ethan and Louis were on guard duty. Louis was used to dark places, maybe because he had spent a lot of his time underground. He was used to use his ears or his nose more than his eyes. Ethan however was not used to this much darkness. Not even the dim glow that came from cave walls was enough.

"Can you see anything?" Ethan asked.

"No," Louis answered the question.

"Then how are we supposed to know if something is coming?" Ethan complained.

"Quit complaining," Louis said "We'll have to use our ears".

"We'll I'm using my ears," Ethan said "And there something coming toward us".

Louis listened closely, but couldn't hear well. He took out his bow and readied an arrow (even though he wouldn't see). After a few minutes, he saw him.

_What in the heck? _he thought. A badger. A lonesome badger was walking along. Louis could barely see him and the nearby glow didn't help.

Ethan also saw the badger and he didn't hesitate. "Who are you?" he asked.

The badger jumped. He then saw Ethan. "Oh, you startled me," he said "And I'm a badger if that answers your question".

Louis recognized the badger's voice. He had heard it once before. He was one of those pirates. It was Gupta. He remembered it well. He remembered Gupta throwing the knife. And he remembered when he was washed away by that whale. Everyone was sure that the crew had drowned. Apparently they didn't.

Gupta then saw Louis. "Look who we have here," he said "It's that little molehog that challenged my former captain. I got to say, you had the guts to challenge Gutt".

Louis said nothing.

"Not in the mood talk," Gupta said "Don't worry, I have nothing against you right now. In fact I'm trying to get out of this hellhole. Now I have a question. What are you doing here?"

"We were scouting the forest and the next we now, we fell," Ethan responded.

"You fell in here," Gupta replied "You're lucky, I was thrown in here". Louis was about to ask about that when a strange noise was heard. It was low and guttural and it didn't sound very far away.

"Hide," Gupta said quietly "Quickly". Gupta dropped to the ground filled with ash and began rolling in it. He then curled up and remained motionless. Ethan went to hide behind a large boulder. And Louis made a small burrow. He had done this before. It was a way of hiding when predators were near.

He covered his nose and mouth because of the ash. The noise was heard again. It was practically above Louis. The molehog poked his head a little out the burrow entrance. He got a very good view of it. It was the largest animal he had ever seen. It had a long and whip like tail. It walked on two legs and its arms had three claws that were like razors. He didn't see the animal's head. After a while, the animal walked away.

Louis emerged from his tiny burrow. Gupta uncurled and Ethan left his hiding place.

"What was that?" Louis asked.

"No idea," Ethan responded.

"I don't know," Gupta said "But it has been hunting me ever since I arrived here I sometimes cover myself with ash to hide my scent as a mammal".

_Great, now we have something that will probably begin hunting us now, _Louis thought.

A few hours after the encounter, everyone was up and about. And they met Gupta. Gupta explained why he was there. He remembered being thrown down the cave by a couple of Lautaro's Terror Birds. He also explained that he was being hunted by that animal. Buck, who didn't seem to listen to the badger, allowed Gupta to tag along.

And then the group set out.

At the front, Buck and Stephen were leading the group, followed by Ethan. Gupta, Crash and Eddie were riding him. Gupta was telling the possum brothers about life in the sea.

And in the back, was Peaches, Louis and Claire.

"Do trust him?" Claire asked Peaches.

"Well I do trust him in some way but in another I don't" she responded.

"Because he was part of a pirate crew that hold us hostage," Louis remarked.

"Maybe".

"Wait," Claire said, a little confused "He was part of a pirate crew".

"Let me explain," Peaches said. And after five minutes, everything that involved a pirate crew was very clear to Claire.

They traveled through the Ahslands for several days until they reached the Glowing Forest. The trees were all dead but the tip of their branches were glowing. The light that came from the glow was brighter than the glow that was in the cave walls. And like the Ashlands, it was eerily quiet. The forest was also teeming with a type of fireflies.

"Alright," Buck said "Once we exit the forest, we will be able to see the Sea of Worms, a sea that also glows like this forest so we'll be able to see a lot more than we did in the Ashlands".

"How long would it take us to cross the forest?" Stephen asked.

"Three days if we continue at this pace," Buck replied "Four days if we rest at the end of the day".

"We must not stop," Stephen said "If that thing that was hunting Gupta is following us, than we have to move nonstop. Well, not nonstop, we'll rest every ten hours".

Louis was walking beside Stephen when he tripped over something.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Louis answered "I tripped over something, I think it was a rock".

Stephen saw the object that Louis tripped over with. It wasn't a rock. It was way to smooth to be a rock. Stephen dug out the object. It was a horn. It was small and made from elm. It was hollow so Stephen figured that it guided sound.

"A horn," Stephen said "No idea why it is here but maybe Oppius might have an idea about what it is".


	12. Chapter 12 The Duel of Agouti's Rock

Loras was ordered by Pax to head back to Lautaro's army. When he arrived, Lautaro began questioning him.

"Where were you?" the bear said, more calm than usual.

"You seem calm," Loras replied.

"Yes, I've been calm ever since the army assembled," Lautaro said "But you haven't answered my question".

"I've been with Lara and my hatchling," he finally replied.

"Oh, very well," Lautaro said "We'll I hope your prepared, I will initiate the attack today. Oppius will know the consequence of not siding with me".

Lautaro was about to say something else when his eyes saw something approaching. Loras looked where Lautaro was looking and saw Joaquin and Sid approaching. Looks like the plan of the duel was approved.

"What is this?" Lautaro said.

"Perhaps they've turned to surrender" Loras told Lautaro.

"Highly unlikely," Lautaro said.

Joaquin raised his voice. "In order to prevent the spilling of blood of both sides, Manfred the Mammoth challenges Lautaro to single battle in the field of battle. The losing side shall surrender".

"Tell me young agouti," Lautaro said "Does the mammoth have any idea at the stakes?"

"Yes he is aware of the stakes," Joaquin responded.

"Well then," Lautaro said "In an hour, the duel begins and make sure to tell the mammoth".

Joaquin and Sid left and headed back into Agouti's Rock. Lautaro turned to Raz, who was beside him.

"Make sure you bring a weapon. I plan to use one".

"Yes my lord," Raz said.

Lautaro then turned to Loras. "Prepare the army, make sure there formed up in an hour". Loras nodded.

Manny was standing in the middle of the field. Diego was standing at his side. He was waiting for Lautaro. He was about to say that he wasn't coming but he then saw him approach. Lautaro's army was cheering for their leader. Behind him, Lautaro was followed by Loras and the kangaroo Raz. Lautaro was calm and Manny figured he would not make a mistake. He tried not to look intimidated, but in reality he was. Manny took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. The two stepped forward to face each other.

"You know the rules," Manny said.

"Fight to the death," Lautaro said "Losing side surrenders".

Manny never said something about fight to the death, but he figured it would be the only way.

"Alright," Manny responded.

The two prepared themselves for five minutes. After those five minutes, Lautaro and Manny circled each other.

"I may have failed to kill your little group in the forest," he said "But I assure you mammoth that it will not happen again. Your death shall be a slow and painful one".

"You don't scare me," Manny lied. Of everything he had faced before, Lautaro was one of the few things he feared.

"A slow and painful death, if you do not surrender," Lautaro said "Pledge loyalty to me and I promise by the stars in the heavens that I will not harm your loved ones".

"No," Manny replied fiercely "I tell you now that no one who fights against you will ever submit to you".

"So be it," Lautaro said. And with that the duel began.

Lautaro charged at him. Manny did a sidestep but Lautaro was fast, very fast. Manny managed to face him and to protect his flanks. The bear was circling, looking for weaknesses in the Manny's defense. Lautaro dared not charge directly, because of Manny's tusks, which were his defense. Everything was going well until Lautaro stood on his two hind legs. He stood four meters tall, taller than Manny. And Lautaro, with his claws, slashed at Manny's trunk. Manny felt his warm blood seeping from the wound.

Manny stood on the defensive. He began thinking. Lautaro was circling him again. Then an idea hit Manny. It was worth a shot. With his trunk, he grabbed Lautaro's leg and flipped him over. The army behind Agouti's Rock cheered.

"You fight well," Lautaro said "let us rest for five minutes and then we shall resume our fight".

"Agreed," Manny said. He went back where Diego was. Oppius, the agouti, was also there.

"Keep it up," he said "Come here, let me patch that cut". Oppius, with his healing knowledge, covered the slash marks made by Lautaro's claws.

It took Oppius almost five minutes but when he was done, Manny looked to Agouti's Rock. At the top of the Rock, he saw Ellie and standing beside her was Shira.

"Manny," Diego said "the five minutes are up".

"Okay," he replied. Manny gave one look at Ellie. He wanted her beautiful image to be in his mind before he died, if he was to lose the duel. Manny then headed to face Lautaro again. The bear was standing in the same place where he was when the duel began. Only this time, he had something strapped to his waist. It was a sword belt and a sword was in its scabbard. Manny would have figured that weapons were to be involved. After all, Raz was there and he remembered her arsenal of weapons she always carried.

Manny was ready. Lautaro was ready. And the second half of the duel was about to begin. And it might be Manny's last minutes of life.

This time, Lautaro made a head on charge. He stood on his hind legs and grabbed Manny's tusks. The two were wrestling but Lautaro managed to push him onto the floor. The bear stood up and drew his sword. And he raised the sword to deliver a final blow to Manny. But Manny was quick and with his trunk he disarmed Lautaro. Manny was holding the sword in his trunk and with it he drove the weapon onto Lautaro's side. The bear fell but he was still alive. Manny stood up. He pointed the weapon at Lautaro's throat. He wanted to kill this bear. It would end all of it. But he hesitated.

"Go on," the bear said "do it".

Manny realized he couldn't kill him. He dropped the sword. "I'm not going to kill you," he said "but you lost the duel, and according to our agreement, the loser has to surrender".

Manny turned his back at Lautaro. The Agouti's Rock army cheered "Victory!"

They had won, it was true. Manny defeated Lautaro. He was to cheer as well when he heard "Go, now!"

Manny turned. He saw Lautaro sheath his sword. He then began to run towards his army. Loras and Raz were also heading toward the army.

Lautaro was yelling to his army as he was running "Prepare yourselves for the battle" he said. And the Battle of Agouti's Rock was about to begin.


	13. Chapter 13 The Sea of Worms

**_This chapter takes place one day before the duel._**

Louis was sitting beside Peaches. It was probably night time, because everyone was asleep. He was carrying the horn that they had found a few days before. And during those days, they found out a use for the horn. Apparently, when you blow on the horn, a light appears and somehow it guesses where you want to go. And they have been using the horn ever since Buck got them lost two days ago.

Louis was examining the horn. He didn't know what it was made of, but it might have been wood or ivory, he didn't know. There was a small inscription on the side. It said:

_Cornu illo munere mortis Pinthias_

Louis didn't know what it meant; the only thing he knew was that Pinthias was a name.

"Hey," Louis said to Peaches "look what it says on the horn". Louis held up the side where the inscription was to Peaches.

"_Cornu..ilo mune…re…mortis…Pinthias,"_she said "Don't know what it means, and who's Pinthias?"

"I ask myself that same question," Louis replied. Then the horn felt heavier. Louis felt something inside of it. He reached in and pulled out a stone. The stone was gold in color and it was smooth and somewhat heavy and shaped like an eagle. Now Louis complained in his mind. They were getting more questions and less answers. When they get back to Agouti's Rock, he would go to Oppius and hope he could give a solid, reliable answer. Well, if they got back. Ever since they had found the horn, they encountered many creatures that live in the Underground.

Some were peaceful like the Ash Turtles but others were bent on ripping them to shreds like the Tree Slashers, giant, reptile like and they had large sharp claws. And there was also that thing that had been following Gupta. They caught small glimpses of it but it was from a distance and the glow from the giant cave walls wasn't enough to light the whole area. It was a bad thing because seeing was kind of difficult (good thing molehogs have good hearing) but also a good thing because some creatures would have a hard time spotting you.

Stephen examined the stone that Louis found inside the horn.

"How can we have missed something this heavy that was inside a horn that lighter?" Stephen said

"Maybe it just appeared out of nowhere," Claire suggested.

"I highly doubt that," Stephen replied "For the meantime, Louis why don't you hold on to the stone".

"Right now, let's not focus on where this damn stone came from," Gupta said "let's just try to get out of here and then go to Agouti's Rock. And I would suggest we hurry".

"Are you in some hurry?" Buck asked "First we must get cross the Sea of Worms and then find the cave where the exit is".

"Look I know something that you guys don't know," Gupta replied "And the same goes for the ones in Agouti's Rock".

"What is it?" Ethan asked.

"Lautaro is amassing an army of animals that are loyal to him," he said "He told all of the members of his council, including me, that he would attack sometime this year".

"Did he ever say an exact day?" Stephen asked him.

"No," the badger answered "But we shouldn't take any chances and hurry so we can get out of here and warn them".

Stephen grabbed the horn and blew it. The sound that it emitted was like a combination of a mammoth call with a horse neighing. A light appeared from the mouth of the horn and it began hovering above them, it then went north.

"Well," Stephen said "If Lautaro is going to attack Agouti's Rock then we better get moving". And the group began following the little hovering light.

And they followed this light for a day or so. The forest began to become less dense and it was no longer glowing. But they didn't need the glow from the forests, because the massive Sea of Worms emitted a much brighter glow.

"There it is my friends," Buck said "The Sea of Worms".

"Why does it glow?" Louis asked.

"I don't know," Buck responded (even though he doesn't know, I do. The Sea of Worms glows because it's home to a species of algae that when it's the water, it produces a phosphorescent glow). The sea was vast and very calm. And there was a land bridge. The land bridge was narrow and it went across the whole Sea from one shore to the other.

"And there we must cross," Buck said, pointing at the bridge. The group headed to the bridge. It took them twenty minutes to get to the shore where the bridge begins.

"Walk in single file," Stephen said. At the front, there was Buck, followed by Stephen, then Claire, then Louis, then Gupta, then Peaches, with Crash and Eddie riding her and at the back Ethan.

"Why is it called the Sea of Worms?" Peaches asked.

"Well, it called that way because-" Buck didn't finish the sentence. He was interrupted by a roar. Everyone turned and saw the creature that had been following Gupta. It stood stall, high above the canopy of the forest. It was black in color and its tail was like a whip, with the end of it bladed. It had three large razor like claws and its head was large and crested and its mouth was filled with sharp teeth. It roared and then charged at them.

"Don't worry," Buck said "The bridge is too narrow for it".

The creature was on the shore. It paced to and fro. The group was about to calm down when the creature stepped into the water. It knew that the bridge was to narrow and it knew how to swim and it was gaining speed.

"Okay," Buck said "Now you can run". The group ran to get across the bridge. The creature was just swimming faster. Soon enough, it would catch up. It was about to throw them off the bridge when a large rumbling was heard.

"Now what" Claire said.

Something happened that saved the group. A large serpent emerged from the Sea and wrapped itself around the creature. However this creature would not go down without a fight. It bit the neck of the serpent. Blood was spilling into the sea.

"Run," Buck yelled "while that thing is distracted". The group ran to get to the other side when another serpent emerged. The serpent had a long snout and several crests. Its body was thick with scales. Its eyes were like that of a snake. Unlike the other creature which roared, this one emitted a screech.

"Louis," Stephen yelled "I think it would be a good time to use that bow of yours". Louis grabbed his bow and loaded an arrow. He pulled back the bow string and took aim. He noticed Buck throw his knife at the serpent. Though tiny compared with the serpent, he had a good throw. Louis focused on the arrow again. He was having trouble holding on to it. But in the end, he released the arrow. It flew much higher than he had expected. It was very small arrow when you compared it to the serpent and Louis thought that the arrow wouldn't even pierce the body of the serpent. But to his surprise, the arrow pierced the eye of the snake. It screeched in pain. The group took the chance to make it across the river. When they were across, they had to climb up a hill. They saw that the creature that had been following them had been drowned and the two serpents were feasting on the flesh of it.

"And that is why I called it the Sea of Worms," Buck said "Because the Sea of Giant Sea Snakes didn't fit".


	14. Chapter 14 The Battle of Agouit's Rock

It was afternoon and the battle was still raging. The army of Agouti's Rock was getting surrounded by Lautaro's army. Terror Birds were pecking animals with their beaks. Many animals that sided with Agouti's Rock now lay dead, but many more Terror Birds and other soldiers of Lautaro's army lay dead.

Shira stood on the defensive. She wouldn't dare an offensive move, for she worried that she could get hurt and that her cubs would die before they would be born. She should've have been on the sidelines but she wanted to participate. Besides, the army needed all the help they could get to fight against Lautaro.

Terror Birds were approaching her. She fended them off. She pounced on one and sunk her teeth in its windpipe. The bird just lay there, gasping for breath.

Shira looked at her surroundings. A group of Hipparion horses were trampling wolves and kicking Terror Birds with their hooves. Ellie and Manny were fighting side by side, fending off large numbers of birds and wolves. Sid was waving a stick back and forward against a group of wolves and moles. Small numbers of Doedicurus and glyptodonts were using their clubbed tails against the Terror Birds. Though not all animals of the army were doing well. The Gastornis birds were being slaughtered by the Terror Birds, their bodies littering the ground. The Macrauchenia were surrounded by wolves but they stood their ground.

Shira saw Oppius and his son Joaquin slashing with their small swords that were perfect in size for an Agouti at wolves and Terror Birds. She also noticed Diego fighting off birds, wolves and a few enemy Smilodon. Though he was holding his ground well, Shira feared that he would become overwhelmed.

A wolf charged at Shira. Its fur was grey and its eyes were green and full with anger and at the same time courage.

"Your death," the wolf said "will be in vain". The wolf leaped to attack Shira, but she sidestepped and with her claws slashed at a very vulnerable place. The throat. The wolf fell to the ground. Shira wiped the blood off her claws in the grass. She then noticed that the Indricotheres of Lautaro's army were moving forward. She looked above and saw several birds allied with Oppius fighting against a Haast's Eagle. The battle looked hopeless. There was no way they could defeat the Indricotheres, and when a Terror Bird or wolf was killed another took its place. Some moles were firing small arrows. How they got the bows, Shira didn't know. She was about to yell to the army to retreat but before she could, something hit her in her head. She fell to the ground, half-conscious. She lay there for several minutes, though for her, it felt like seconds. She couldn't focus her hearing or her eyesight. The last thing she remembered was being whisked away before becoming unconscious.

The next time Shira woke up, it was late afternoon. She took in her surroundings. She was in a small room. There was only one window and she could see outside many trees.

"You're awake," Diego said "You've been out cold for a day".

"What happened?" Shira asked.

"You were knocked out by a Terror Bird," Diego replied "A few minutes later, Manny and I saw you lying on the ground and we carried you off to safety".

"What about the battle?" Shira asked. She wanted to know the outcome of the battle, since she was not there at the end.

Diego sat beside her. "We lost the battle," Diego began "After we carried you off, the Indricotheres arrived and they were causing some damage. It was then where Oppius called a retreat. The army scattered into the forest and Oppius and his son led us deep inside Agouti's Rock where we also picked up Sid's grandmother. Oppius led us throw a series of tunnels that were an escape route and we ended up here. It's called Eagle's Rock".

"What about Agouti's Rock?"

"Lautaro's army captured it," Diego said grimly "Basically he won". Shira thought about that prophecy. Maybe it was a false prophecy or maybe it wasn't time for it to be fulfilled.

"I have to go," Diego said "Oppius is calling on some council". Diego got up and left the room. And Shira lay there. She felt something kicking inside of her. She felt happy that she and, most importantly, her cubs survived the Battle of Agouti's Rock.

Eagle's Rock looked a lot like Agouti's Rock, only that it was smaller. Oppius' council was held in the central room of the structure. The central room also had its set of statues.

"So what do we do know?" Sid asked.

"We hide from Lautaro and his damn Terror Birds," Oppius said "That's what we're going to do. Until we find a way to dethrone him".

"Like in the prophecy," Manny said.

"Damn the prophecy," Oppius said "Prophecy or no prophecy, we're going to act".

"What about my daughter and her friends?" Manny asked.

"There's a cave that leads to the Underground in the Coastal Forest west of here," Joaquin said "We can send you there".

"While you search for your daughter," Oppius said "I will contact our allies".

"What allies?" Diego asked.

"The phoenixes of the Phoenix Islands," the agouti replied.

"What are phoenixes?" Sid asked,

"Immortal birds," Joaquin began "Masters of magic and fire. Fine makers of craft. Where do you think I got those weapons that I gave to the others".

"From the phoenixes," Manny answered.

"Precisely," Oppius replied "Joaquin, send a bird to the Phoenix Islands. We must get all the help we can get, for the real war is only just beginning".


	15. Chapter 15 The Final Stage

_This chapter takes place a week after the Battle of Agouti's Rock_

After several days of walking through an underground world, the group had finally left the caverns. At first, once they exited the cave, the sunlight blinded them temporarily. Even though it was little sunlight, because the sun was setting, it did stun them. It felt good to breathe fresh air once more.

Gupta heard waves crashing on the shore. He looked around and noticed that they were forest that was right next to the ocean. He recognized the forest. He had been there once, in one of Lautaro's reconnaissance missions. The breeze that came from the ocean reminded him of the days of sailing in a ship. It seemed so long ago.

"So," Ethan said "In what part of the island are we?"

"In the Coastal Forest of the Western Coast," Gupta said "To the east, you can see the Western Mountains and after that, there's a small plain and then the Cariamae Forest".

"So we head that way," Stephen said.

"Yes," Gupta replied. So they began heading to the mountains to cross them. Their plan was to head to Agouti's Rock. Hopefully, Lautaro hadn't attack yet.

It was midnight. Gupta lay awake, while everyone else was asleep. He thought of looking for Raz and try to talk some sense into her, convince to snap out of that tonic that she was forced to drink. Gupta then heard something in the distance. He got up and drew his knife. He was prepared to fight anything that came out. After walking a few minutes, he found himself deep in the forest.

It started to rain and soon enough, Gupta was getting drenched. He had his knife in hand and strapped around him was the horn. It was his turn to carry it. He looked around but saw that there was no one there.

"Hey," two voices said behind him.

It startled him. He turned and saw that it was only Crash and Eddie. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We heard a noise," Crash said "so we decided to investigate it. What are you doing?"

"Pretty much the same thing," Gupta replied. After several minutes, they looked around for signs for something that would have made the noise.

"Guess it was nothing," Gupta said "Let's go back. Now which way is our camp?"

Eddie yelped. "What is it?" Crash asked.

Eddie pointed north. Gupta saw that it was a wolf. Then another appeared and then another. Soon there were two dozen wolves. They were searching for something.

"There they are!" a wolf called out to the others.

"Guys," Gupta said to the possums "run". The three began running. They didn't know what direction they were heading. The wolves were catching up. Gupta saw no point into running. He prepared to fight. A wolf leaped. Gupta sidestepped before the wolf landed and drove his knife into the animal. And he did the same for other wolves. He noticed Crash and Eddie fighting off some wolves with small knives (they had gotten those in Agouti's Rock).

The wolves were no match for him. Time after time, he killed off more of them. But more were coming. Three couldn't hold off many of these canines. Gupta grabbed the horn that was at his side and blew it. The sound momentarily stunned some wolves but not for long. He blew the horn again and then threw his knife at one of the wolves. He went to retrieve it. He blew the horn for a third time. And then a fourth time. Hopefully Stephen and the others would hear it. Another wave of wolves approached. Gupta and the possums fell back deeper into the forest. He killed two other wolves with his knife when an arrow pierced him.

He dropped to his knees. He looked at the arrow. It was somewhat crude and the fletching was made from eagle feathers. The possum brothers helped him get up. But once he was on his feet, another arrow pierced him. The pain was sharp and he felt something warm flowing in his fur. It was his blood. Crash and Eddie hold off more wolves but they were overwhelmed. They were knocked to the ground and one of those wolves picked them up. Then one of the wolves ordered them to leave. The entire pack left Gupta standing alone in the forest, taking Crash and Eddie with them. Gupta began to pursuit them when another arrow hit him in the back. Then a fourth and fifth arrow pierced his abdomen. Gupta felt weak. His strength was failing him. He could feel his life leaving him. He fell to his knees again. He took a deep breath. He wasn't scared to die.

He then heard someone approaching from behind. He mustered enough strength to turn and see his attacker. And he got a good look. His attacker had purple grayish hair. Amber eyes filled with hatred.

"That tonic really messed you up didn't it Raz," Gupta said.

Raz said nothing. She grabbed the horn from Gupta's hand and then he grabbed her bow that she had made and loaded an arrow.

"Do not talk to me you filthy badger," she said "Die now in vain". The female kangaroo pulled back the arrow. "For Lautaro, newly crowned king of the Island of Tetheros".

"So," Gupta said weakly "the damned bear got his price".

"Silence," Raz said sharply "You are only making your death more painful".

"Oh, but you want me to die painfully at this moment".

Raz nodded.

Gupta tried to knock some sense into Raz. "Listen to me," Gupta said "Snap out of it, Lautaro is not the good guy. He is twisted, mad, selfish and greedy. You know this".

"Do not speak," Raz said "For Lautaro is the rightful ruler of this land. He has saved us from anarchy. And you are but an obstacle to this reign, may it last forever".

"These are all lies," Gupta said, trying to convince Raz "Everything he says to you is a lie".

"Or perhaps you are the one who tells the lies," Raz said angrily.

She was about to release the arrow when Stephen jumped on her. The arrow missed Gupta by an inch. Gupta just watched as the two engaged in a duel. Stephen had his sword and Raz had drawn a sword from her stash of weapons. The swords clashed. Stephen was agile and evaded all of the kangaroo's attacks. He then drove the sword through the kangaroo's thigh. Raz yelped in pain. She picked up the molehog and threw him into a tree. Stephen lay on the ground. He was alright but his lip was cut and bleeding and he had a small cut in his forehead. Raz removed the sword from her thigh. She looked at it and threw it at Stephen. The molehog managed to catch the sword and he charged at Raz. He dodged her sword attack and with one strong motion, managed to cut of Raz' left hand. Raz dropped her sword and held her left arm. She then hopped away, including with the horn. And when this happened, Gupta lay down on his side waiting to die.

Stephen approached him. He removed the arrows from Gupta's back and his chest and torso.

"Come on," Stephen said "we have to clean the wounds".

"It's too late," Gupta said "my time on this world is over".

"Don't say that," Stephen said "you're strong, you can make it".

"What difference does it make dying here right now in this forest," Gupta replied "Or dying who knows where some years from now. There are some things that I need to tell you ".

"Say them," the molehog said.

"Wolves took Crash and Eddie," the badger began "I don't know where they are heading-" the badger winced in pain "but maybe…it could be Agouti's Rock. And you should…know that Lautaro…was…was crowned king and Raz took the horn".

"Stay still," Stephen said.

"Where… are…are the others?" the badger asked

"I think there on their way," Stephen said.

"Listen," Gupta said "I want you to save Raz from Lautaro's…grasp. She drank…drank a tonic and…she's not herself…Please".

"I will," Stephen said "I promise you that I will save her, even if it means finding an antidote for this said tonic or-"

"-killing her," Gupta finished "Though…I would prefer you…you not killing her".

"I will do all I can," Stephen responded.

"Thank you," Gupta said. And with those words, he passed into the next life.

Stephen and Buck laid Gupta's body on raft made from wood and bark they had spent the night building. The night was ending and the sun was rising. After they had a moment of silence and then Stephen set the raft adrift.

"I don't know what to do know," Stephen said "But let's go find Manny, Sid, Diego and the others".

"What about Crash and Eddie?" Peaches asked, obviously worried.

"We'll find them," Stephen assured her "But we'll have a better chance of doing it with the help of the others".

"The molehog is right," Buck said "The more we number, the better chance we have of finding them".

"So," Louis said "which way now?"

"We head east," Stephen said. Then Peaches, Ethan, Louis, Claire, Buck and Stephen headed east. Gupta's words still rang inside of Stephen's head.

He intended to keep his promise, one way or the other. And they also had to help in the fight against Lautaro. He felt a lot of things were going to happen soon. The once peaceful island of Tetheros would see a war. And that war had already begun.

Stephen looked back, looking towards the sea.

"Be at peace Gupta," Stephen said as he watched the raft floating towards the horizon.

**_End of Part 1_**

**_Part 2:_**

**_MARK OF FIRE_**


End file.
